The Emotional Benefits Of Owning A Dog

Many people strive to be as good of a person as their dog believes that they are. That said, dogs have worked over the last 15,000 years to become mans best friend. In exchange for love and affection they also give loyalty. That is a lot more than some humans can say. There are many benefits of owning a dog. Here are a few that we’ve collected over the recent years.

Medical Reasons

Many dogs have been trained to note when something is wrong with their owner. This could be as simple as the person feeling down or as complex as the person about to have a major heart attack or diabetic seizure. Having a dog in situations like this can greatly increase a persons longevity.

People who own dogs also have a lower rate of high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They have lower blood pressure and a much lower rate of stress in their lives. For anyone who is undergoing some stressful situations in life having a pet can make the difference between serious health issues and minor ones.

People who own pets also have better physical health than those who don’t. This is because they will be exercising and moving around more than if they did not have pets to care for.

Pets work well as therapy animals as well which can greatly reduce a persons need for medications for such conditions.

Pets can sense a seizure coming on and warn the owner in some prearranged fashion. Many dogs are medically trained to help their human owners to stay healthy in this fashion.

Best Friend

Your best friend doesn’t always have to have two legs, some have four. Four legged friends can offer you a best friend that rarely argues with you and will always be loyal.

Companionship

Single persons, elderly persons and others are seeking companionship. Many people keep a dog as a pet for this very reason. Dogs as pets have long been known to help curb loneliness and feelings of loss. It is important to help a person cope with a tragic event or with the simple fact that they live alone. Pets can alleviate the sense of isolation in a person as well. Having a pet to come home to is vital to feeling needed and wanted.

Anxiety

Pets can greatly reduce anxiety in their owners. From the single woman that can’t sleep due to fears of break ins to the single person that needs a pet for comfort, anxiety can be greatly reduced by owning a pet.

Physical Contact

Studies have shown that having physical contact with a pet can give a person a brighter outlook on life. Touch is important and a vital part of our physical and our emotional health.

There are many great emotional benefits to owning a dog.  These are but a few of the more major ones but there are also a myriad of little reasons that owning a dog can be vital to ones emotional well being.

Do you know other benefits of owning a dog? If so please tell us about them in the comments section below.

Do you have any dog training or care questions?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time,

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P.S. Training your dog is really important so let us help!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

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